Knitting machines



Nov. 24, 1964 J. KAHAN 3,158,012

KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR. JENO KAHAN WQM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 12, 1961 INVENTOR. JENO KAHA/V BY R:

United States Patent 3,158,012 KNITTING MAHIINES .Ieno Kahan, 925 Prospect Place, Erooklyn, NX. Filed Dec. 12, 1951, Ser. No. 153,779

Giairns. (Cl. es -sn This invention relates'to improvements in knitting machines and refers more particularly to improvements in the needle actuating mechanisms thereof to allow the independent selection from the needle bed of certain specific different types of needles which may be carried therein.

In known art knitting machines, knitting of the fabric may be effected either by moving the needle bed over stationary cam sections to actuate the needles in selected sequence, or the needle bed may be held stationary and the cam sections moved around the needle bed. The needle bed may contain as few as under one-hundred or as many as one-thousand needles. The types of latch needles used in the needle bed may vary with regard to the location and size of the needle butt and the needle shank length, the latter needle features being adapted for raising and lowering the needles at the thread feeder. Generally, many types of needles may be used in the needle bed. But with known art construction it is not possible to select independently certain specific types of needles. This limitation stems from the fact that with regard to these certain needle types, the cam section or sections designated to actuate a specific needle will as they actuate or lift that needle, simultaneously lift another type of needle so that the knitting function of the specifically mentioned needle will actually be an effect produced by two different types of needles. v

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a needle actuating cam construction for knitting machines which permits independent selection of certa n specific different types of knitting needles dur-' ing the knitting operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improvements in knitting machines which allow greater latitude and variety in the designs which may be imparted to the fabric during knitting.

Other objects of the present invention will become more manifest in the course of the following specification.

In achieving these and other objects of the present invention, one or several cam sections of known construction are used in a knitting machine for actuating or independently selecting each of three different types of latch needles carried in the needle bed. For purposes of example it will be assumed that the knitting machine is one of the type wherein the cam sectionsare held staionary and the needle bed rotated about the cam sections. Another cam section is provided for the purpose of carrying two specially-shaped cams which are used to independently select a fourth type of latch needle from the needle bed during knitting. One of the special-shaped cams 'in the latter cam section has a surface which engages the rear butts of and causes the fourth and also the second type of needle in the moving needle bed passing thereover, to lift to a position in which the needles passing a thread feeder mounted on the cam section grab the thread carried therein. The second special-shaped cam has a slotted surface designed to catch the rear butt of the raised second type of needle and force it back to a non-engaged position before it reaches the thread feeder. The fourth type of needle which has a shorter rear butt than the second type of needle will pass over the slotted segment of the second cam and will remain raised until it passes the thread feeder whereat it grabs the thread to effect the desired knitting operation. Both cams are movable in the cam section from engage to non-engage positions. In addition, the second special-shaped cam may be moved to a position wherein it catches the front butt on each of the four different types. of needles so that they may be raised to a thread engaging position in unison.

v The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing byway of example, a preferred embodiment of the inventive concept.

In the drawings? FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a cam section of a circular knitting machine showing the cams carried thereon for actuating two different types of needles;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational View of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of another can: section showing the cam for actuating a third type of needle;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational View of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of still another cam section showing the cams carried therein for actuating a fourth type of needle; and

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational View of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 illustrates in side elevation, the four different types of latch needles used in the needle bed of a circular knitting machine which may be independently se lected by using the cam construction of the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a segment of the needle bed of a circular knitting machine showing the arrangement of the four different types of needles carried therein;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of one of the cams shown in FIGURE 5 for actuating thefourth type of needle;

FIGURE 10 is a plan View in reduced scale of the cam sections illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 6, the cam sections being shown connected together in one operative position in which they may be arranged in a circular knitting machine.

Throughout the specification like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts.

The four types of latch nedles which may be subjected to independent selection in the operation of a knitting machine through the use of the cam construction of the present invention are well known in the art and are illustrated in FIGURE 7. The first type of needle, designated by Roman numeral I, hasa long butt 11 in front, the latter being the point at which the needle is lifted in operation since it has a longer front butt than the other type of needles used. The second type of needle, designated by Roman numeral II, has a short butt 12 in front and a long butt 13 inback, the needle being lifted at butt 13 during independent selection since in this instance needle II will have a longer rear butt than any other type of needle used. The third type of needle, designated by Roman numeral III, has a short butt 14 in front and an extra long shank 15, the needle being lifted during inde pendent selection at the end of the shank. The fourth type of needle, designated by Roman numeral IV, has a. shortbutt 16 in front and a short butt I7 in back, the needle being lifted during independent selection at the back butt 17. Hereafter, the needles will be referred to simply by the numeralsI, II, III and IV. In use the needles I, II, III and IV are carried'in the needle bed part of the knitting machine, a segment 18 of the needle bed and the manner of arrangement of the needles therein being illustrated in FGURE 8. For the purposes of this specification only one of each of the four different types i mounted on the knitting machine.

to strike specified cams thereby being raised to grab the thread. FIGURES 1 and 2 show a cam section 21 on which is mounted two cams 22 and 23. Cams 22 and 23 are identical in all respects and are used to actuate needles I and II, respectively. Cam 22 is mounted on a peg 24 being swingable thereahout. The cam 22 is movable in a guide slot 25 from an operative position shown in solid lines to an inoperative or non-engage position shown in broken lines. As the needle bed 18 passes over the cam section 21, the front butt 11 of needle I since it is a long butt will strike against and ride on the front surface 26 of cam 22, thereby lifting the needle I in the direction of the thread feeder 27 which is firmly fixed to the cam section 21. Since the other needles all have short butts which do not reach the surface 26 of cam 22 these needles II, III and IV will ride over cam 22 without effect. Thus the needle I is raised to a position where it can grab the thread 28 supplied from a spool 29 Cam 23 is used to raise needle II. It does so because the rear butt 13 is a long butt and will engage cam 23. Needle IV which has a short rear butt 17 will ride over cam 23 without effect. It also is mounted on a peg 30 and is swingable from an operative (solid lines) to an inoperative position (broken lines), moving therethrough in a guide slot 31. Although both earns 22 and 23 are shown in operative position, it might be desirable due to the fabric design being knitted that only one or the other would in use, he in an operative position on cam section 21 at a given instant. Thus, either needle I or needle 11 would be raised by this particular cam section. For the purpose of actuating the other needle, another similarly arranged cam section (not shown), with the appropriate cam in engage-position, may be used, or the operative and inoperative positions of these cams can be reversed before the next pass of the needle bed segment by the cam section in question.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate another cam section 32 on which is mounted a cam 33 for actuating needle I11. It too is mounted on a peg 34 and is movable from an operative position (solid lines) to an inoperative or nonengage position (broken lines) being guided in this movement in guide slot 36. As the needle bed 18 passes over cam section 32, the end of the shank 15 of needle III will strike against and ride onthe front surface 35 of cam 33, thereby causing needle III to lift to a knitting position. T enable the needle bed segment 18 to clear the cam 33, while at the same time allowing needle III to engage the cam, a step-down shoulder 37 is provided on the needle bed.

I The earns 22, 23 and 33 which are used to provide independent selection of needles I, II and III are well known in the prior art and their construction does notper se fall within the scope of the present invention. However, to add a fourth type of nedle, namely; needle IV, to the needle bed 18 and retain the feature of independent selection of all needles, can only be achieved through use of special shaped earns 40 and 41 which are carried on still another cam section 42 (FIGS. and 6'). The operative position of earns 40 and 41, that is the position in which needle IV in the needle bed will be independently selected for knitting is shown in FIGURE 5 in solid lines. Cam 40 is mounted on a peg 43 and may be moved in guide slot 44 to an inoperative position (broken lines). Cam 41 which is mounted on peg 45 is also movable to an inoperative position (broken lines) in a guide slot 46. The inoperative position of cam 41 is not in fact an inoperative position. Rather it is a positioning of this cam so that it will cause all of the needles I, II, III and 1V to be selected for knitting at the same time. This function of cam 41 will be more fully described later on.

To independently select needle IV, the cams 40 and 41 are positioned as indicated in FIGURE 5 in solid lines. As needle bed 18 passes over cam section 42, the rear butt 13 of needle II and the rear butt 17 of 5. needle IV will strike the front surface 47 of cam causing these needles to be lifted. But since it is not desired to have needle 11 knit, it must be returned to non-engage position before it passes the thread feeder 48. The return is accomplished by cam 41. As the needles II and IV pass from cam 40 in a raised position, the rear butt 13 of needle 11 will strike and ride down the bottom surface 49 of cam 41. Since it is desired, however, that needle IV remain raised so that it will engage the thread, cam 41 is provided with a stepped-down slotted portion 50. Since the rear butt 17 of needle IV is a short butt in contrast with the long rear butt 13 of needle II, it will clear the bottom surface 49 of cam 41 and ride over the slotted portion 50 thereof, thus remaining in the raised position effected by cam 40.

As previously mentioned, cam 41 may be used to raise all needles I, II, HI and IV as a unit. If it is desired that these needles all knit together at the same thread feeder 48, it is only necessary to move cam 41 to the position indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 5. Thus as the needle bed passes over cam section 42, the front butts 11, 12, 14 and 16 of needles I, II, III and IV, respectively, will strike the front surface 51 of cam 41 causing the needles to be lifted.

After the various needles I, II, III and IV have been selected, they are caused to perform their knitting function and they are returned to neutral position in the needle bed by means of stationary cams mounted on the various cam sections. This action is effected by the front butt of each needle riding against and downwardly on the bottom face 61 of cam 60.

Each cam section 21, 32 and 42 is provided with stationary guide cams 62 and 63. When the needles I, II, III and IV are in neutral position in the needle bed 18, the front butt of each needle rides in the slot 64 formed by the earns 62 and 63.

It should be noted that earns 22 and 23 which are used to actuate needles I and II, respectively, are identical and are of equal thickness. Also their thickness is less than that of the stationary earns 60, 62 and 63 which are equal (FIG. 2). Cain 33 which actuates needle III is thicker than stationary cams 60, 62 and 63 (FIG. 4). This is so since the cam must act against the shank end 15 of needle III to lift instead of acting on a butt as is the case with the other needles. Cam 40 and the front portion of cam 41 are equal in thickness which is the same thickness as earns 60, 62 and 63. The stepped' down portion of cam 41 is of course of lesser thickness than the front portion and is of the same thickness as earns 22 and 23.

In describing the operation of the foregoing construction, further reference will be made to FIGURE 10. The cam sections 21, 32 and 42 which are mounted on a circular knitting machine are bolted together as shown. Cam 22 for actuating needle I is moved to operative position. Cam 23 for actuating needle II is moved to inoperative position. Needle II would be actuated by a cam 23 in operative position on another cam section (not shown) wherein the cam 22 could be eliminated or moved to inoperative position. Cam 33 on cam section 32 for actuating needle III is also moved to operative position. Similarly, the earns 40 and 41 on cam section 42 for actuating needle IV are moved to operative position. The movement of the cams may be accomplished through means of throw levers (not shown) or other well known devices. When the knitting machine operates, the needle bed 18 rotates in a circular path over the stationary cam section as, for example, in the direction indicated by the arrow A. In passing section 42, needle IV and all other like needles in the needle bed will be lifted and will knit. As the needle bed passes on to section 32, needle III and all other like needles will lift and knit. Passing over section 21, needle I and all like needles will knit. In passing over a section (not shown) having cam 22 operative, needle II and 53 all other like needles will knit. Thus all four needles I, II, III and IV can be independently selected.

It should be understood that the arrangement of the cam sections in the machine and of the cams themselves on the various cam sections, will be determined by the type of pattern or design in the fabric to be knitted. Thus the arrangement might, for example, be a section for actuating needle IV, a section for actuating needle I, a section for needle II, a section for simultaneous lifting of all needles, etc. Furthermore, it should be obvious that it is possible to mount the cams for actuating the four needles I, II, III, IV on one cam section and the cam positions can be changed from operative to inoperative and vice versa at will during the knitting operation. In addition the construction of the present invention is adaptable for use on knitting machines of both the circular and the fiat type.

It is seen, therefore, that the foregoing construction provides for independent selection of four specific different types of needles in a knitting machine, While heretofore independent selection of only three of these different types of needles was the limit. It follows that greater variety in the pattern on and of knitted fabrics is possible. The foregoing construction has been given by way of example only, and it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the scope of the inventive concept herein disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine having a needle bed carrying at least four different types of latch needles, some cam sections, said needle bed and said cam sections being movable relatively to each other, one type of said four types of needles having a long front butt, a second type having a short front butt and a long rear butt, a third type having a short front butt and an elongated shank, and a fourth type having a short front butt and a short rear butt, and thread feeders carried on each of the cam sections; the improvement of selector means for selecting and moving each type of needle to a knit position engaging a thread feeder independently of the movement of the other types, said selector means comprising: a cam mounted on one of said cam sections and being movable thereon from an inoperative to an operative position wherein the cam surface of said cam engages the front butt of the first type of needle for moving said needle to a knit position when said needle bed and said cam section are moved relatively to each other; another cam mounted on the last-mentioned cam section and being movable thereon from an inoperative to an operative position wherein the cam surface of said cam engages the rear butt of the second type of needle for moving said needle to a knit position when said needle bed and said cam section are moved relatively to each other; another cam mounted on another one of said cam sections and being movable thereon from an inoperative to an operative position wherein the cam surface of said cam engages the shank end of the third type of needle for moving said needle to a knit position when said needle bed and said other cam section are moved relatively to each other; cam means mounted on a third one of said cam sections and operable when said needle bed and said third cam section are moved relatively to each other for simultaneously moving said second and fourth types of needles toward a knit position, said cam means being further adapted for moving said second type of needle back out of a knit position before the fourth type of needle engages a thread in the thread feed carried by said third cam section.

2. In a knitting machine, selector means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a pair of cams, one cam of said pair of cams being movable on said third cam section from an inoperative to an operative position wherein its cam surface engages one side of the rear butt of the second type of needle and the rear butt of the fourth type of needle for moving said needles to a knit position when said needle bed and said third cam section are moved relatively to each other, the other cam of said pair of cams having a slotted cam portion which in a first operative position of said other cam engages the other side of the rear butt of said second type of needle for moving it out of its knit position before it engages the thread in the thread feeder carried by said third cam section.

3. in a knitting machine, selector means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a pair of cams, 'one cam of said pair of cams being movable on said third cam section from an inoperative to an operative position wherein its cam surface engages one side of the rear butt of the second type of needle and the rear butt of the fourth type of needle for moving said needles to a knit position when said needle bed and said third cam section are moved relatively to each other, the other cam of said pair of cams having a slotted cam portion which in a first operative position of said cam engages the-other side of the rear butt of said second type of needle for moving it out of its knit position before it engages the thread in the thread feeder carried by said third cam section, said other cam of said pair of cams having an additional cam surface for engaging the front butt of each of the four types of needles when said cam is moved to a second operative position for moving all needles simultaneously to a knit position when said needle bed and said third cam section are moved relatively to each other.

4. In a knitting machine, selector means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cam means engages the fourth type of needle at the butt which is remote from the thread engaging end.

5. In a knitting machine, selector means in accordance with claim 2 wherein the first-mentioned cam of said pair of cams is mounted on the third cam section in a location wherein it lies between the front and rear butts of the fourth type of needle when said needle is in a non-knit position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 759,928 Stafford et al. May 17, 1904 1,631,817 Houseman June 7, 1927 1,951,102 Mills Mar. 13, 1934 2,260,579 C. F. Miller Oct. 28, 1941 2,525,704 E. F. Miller Oct. 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 542,164 France- May 12, 1922 642,377 France May 5, 1928 248,054 Great Britain Feb. 24, 1926 251,112 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1926 408,888 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1934 

1. IN A KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A NEEDLE BED CARRYING AT LEAST FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF LATCH NEEDLES, SOME CAM SECTIONS, SAID NEEDLE BED AND SAID CAM SECTIONS BEING MOVABLE RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER, ONE TYPE OF SAID FOUR TYPES OF NEEDLES HAVING A LONG FRONT BUTT, A SECOND TYPE HAVING A SHORT FRONT BUTT AND A LONG REAR BUTT, A THIRD TYPE HAVING A SHORT FRONT BUTT AND AN ELONGATED SHANK, AND A FOURTH TYPE HAVING A SHORT FRONT BUTT AND A SHORT REAR BUTT, AND THREAD FEEDERS CARRIED ON EACH OF THE CAM SECTIONS; THE IMPROVEMENT OF SELECTOR MEANS FOR SELECTING AND MOVING EACH TYPE OF NEEDLE TO A KNIT POSITION ENGAGING A THREAD FEEDER INDEPENDENTLY OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE OTHER TYPES, SAID SELECTOR MEANS COMPRISING: A CAM MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID CAM SECTIONS AND BEING MOVABLE THEREON FROM AN INOPERATIVE TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN THE CAM SURFACE OF SAID CAM ENGAGES THE FRONT BUTT OF THE FIRST TYPE OF NEEDLE FOR MOVING SAID NEEDLE TO A KNIT POSITION WHEN SAID NEEDLE BED AND SAID CAM SECTION ARE MOVED RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER; ANOTHER CAM MOUNTED ON THE LAST-MENTIONED CAM SECTION AND BEING MOVABLE THEREON FROM AN INOPERATIVE TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN THE CAM SURFACE OF SAID CAM ENGAGES THE REAR BUTT OF THE SECOND TYPE OF NEEDLE FOR MOVING SAID NEEDLE TO A KNIT POSITION WHEN SAID NEEDLE BED AND SAID CAM SECTION ARE MOVED RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER; ANOTHER CAM MOUNTED ON ANOTHER ONE OF SAID CAM SECTIONS AND BEING MOVABLE THEREON FROM AN INOPERATIVE TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN THE CAM SURFACE OF SAID CAM ENGAGES THE SHANK END OF THE THIRD TYPE OF NEEDLE FOR MOVING SAID NEEDLE TO A KNIT POSITION WHEN SAID NEEDLE BED AND SAID OTHER CAM SECTION ARE MOVED RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER; CAM MEANS MOUNTED ON A THIRD ONE OF SAID CAM SECTIONS AND OPERABLE WHEN SAID NEEDLE BED AND SAID THIRD CAM SECTION ARE MOVED RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING SAID SECOND AND FOURTH TYPES OF NEEDLES TOWARD A KNIT POSITION, SAID CAM MEANS BEING FURTHER ADAPTED FOR MOVING SAID SECOND TYPE OF NEEDLE BACK OUT OF A KNIT POSITION BEFORE THE FOURTH TYPE OF NEEDLE ENGAGES A THREAD IN THE THREAD FEED CARRIED BY SAID THIRD CAM SECTION. 